Positive Moves for Self-Leadership Success

Sherry Knight, my friend from Dimension 11 writes some advice for those thinking of moving up and taking a leadership role. She references Saskatchewan but the message may be applied you no matter where you live. 
​
There are some things to consider when you are looking for your own future success. One of the most important is to recognize your own strengths and those areas where you want to be better than you already are. Sometimes when things go wrong you need to remind yourself that challenges can be fixed and you can fix the problem if you have the skills or you can find someone who can.

Success is in your hands: 

• Show up to work every day, on time – people who are ill often or take a lot of time off are often viewed as not having the best interests of the organization in mind
•  Listen – it is the most important communications tool you can use – your mother possibly told you, you have 2 ears and 1 mouth – listen twice as much as you speak and then ask relevant questions about what the other person just said
• •Continue your education – take every program made available to you to increase your knowledge and skill – employers want people who are life long learners
• Volunteer for projects – it gets you noticed by your boss and possibly by the leaders of other departments
• Attending meetings – be early, speak up, don’t sit there quietly – be noticed for doing the right thing and letting others know you have valuable ideas
• Be a team player – everyone looks to those individuals who help others to get the job done
• Lead – every time you have the opportunity – organizations are always looking for people who know when to lead, when to step back and when to get out of the way
• Value everyone’s contribution – you may be a higher rank than another in your organization yet it is important to know everyone has a part to play – those who get promoted are often the people who understand and show every person from the janitor to the executives are needed to make the organization whole
• Show respect to everyone – applying for a job? – in many organizations everyone has a say in who gets the job offer.

Over the next 4 years your chances of moving up within an organization or moving to a new one are better than they have been in the past. You are responsible for your growth and your career and your trajectory towards your ultimate goal so plan how you are going to move forward.

Know you can do it, do everything you can to make yourself a valuable part of your organization. Success is in your hands.

From Knight Views. A Dimension 11 Publication. Find it here. Printed with permission.